By Don Queen

Retired Presiding Judge and author Lise Pearlman will join the OLLI faculty this fall to teach a class entitled "Landmark Trials of the 21st Century." She states that "It's a comparison of so-called trials of the century." In this course, the class will study and discuss which trial really deserves to be called "The Trial of the Century." The trials selected are different from those previously taught at OLLI, with no reading assignments.

Judge Pearlman grew up in Connecticut and was a member of Yale's first coed graduating class. The first major trial that Pearlman experienced was that of Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale in New Haven. Pearlman, along with other undergraduates, assisted in canvassing local neighborhoods for residents' views on the presumption of innocence. After receiving her degree in Classics, she moved to Berkeley in 1971 to attend Boalt School of Law. This was during the trial of The Black Panther's other co-founder, Huey Newton, for the murder of Oakland Police Officer John Frey. She notes that the trial nearly brought the city to a standstill.

In her third year of law school, Pearlman served as an extern for Justice Mathew Tobriner on the California Supreme Court, and later clerked for California's Chief Justice Donald Wright. She then served as a teaching fellow at Stanford Law School for a year before beginning civil litigation and appellate practice in Oakland. In 1984, Pearlman received widespread publicity as the first woman to be a managing partner of an established California law firm at the same time the U.S. Supreme Court was belatedly deciding whether it was possible for a woman to be a law partner. Five years later she was selected as the first Presiding Judge of the California State Bar Court, appointed by the California Supreme Court to oversee the panel of specialized judges handling attorney discipline cases statewide. Subsequently, Pearlman has served as a private judge arbitrating and mediating civil cases through Alternative Resolution Centers.

A frequent lecturer and panelist on programs for practicing lawyers, Pearlman co-authored her first book in 1985 on writing jury instructions in plain English. She also taught professional responsibility as a guest lecturer at Boalt Hall and Santa Clara University law schools.

Judge Pearlman has selected from her book, The Sky's The Limit: People v. Newton: The REAL Trial of the 20th Century? (Regent Press, 2012), trials such as Big Bill Haywood, the Scottsboro Boys, and Leo Frank, as well as the heretofore overlooked Huey Newton trial. They serve as a prism to focus on issues such as labor rights and racism. These are the issues which polarized 20th century America and were pivotal in social changes and the conduct of the justice system.

In the forward to her book, Judge Pearlman quotes a Yale Law School's dean: "The quality of a civilization is largely determined by the fairness of its criminal trials..." In this course, the class will not only have the opportunity to judge how America did in the 20th century, but how we are doing today.

Lise Pearlman will be teaching "Landmark Trials of the 20th Century" on Mondays, Oct 1-Nov 5, from 10:00 am-12:00 noon.

If you are a member of a neighborhood or community email list, you know how helpful it can be when you're looking for a plumber or someone who can walk your dog while you're away. Imagine an OLLI community list where you could find people who want to continue the conversation from class, organize an event, or share tips about how to make the most of OLLI.

OLLI member Deborah Goodman and Communications Coordinator Satya Levine are looking for 1-2 people to join the project team and help make this a reality by the opening of the Fall 2012 term. If you are excited by this project and are comfortable with technology (expertise not required), send an email to goodman@comcast.net.

Volunteering is a great way to meet people and have a good time while helping to promote OLLI. There are a number of volunteer opportunities coming up; check them out below. Have questions or ready to volunteer? Contact Aileen Kim, Program Coordinator, at akkim@berkeley.edu.  

PIEDMONT ART WALK

Piedmont Avenue in Oakland hosts Art Walk every third Thursday from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. This would be a fabulous place to give out OLLI brochures.

BACK TO SCHOOL PICNIC

Volunteer to help with set-up or clean-up. The picnic will run from 12:00-2:00 pm and volunteers are needed both before and after.

SOLANO STROLL

Be part of the OLLI table at the Solano Stroll (see pictures from past years on our website). Share OLLI with the strollers and wear an OLLI T-shirt--it's lots of fun!

OPEN HOUSE

Open House volunteers help with set-up, greeting, registrations, and providing course information, and act as a resource for people who are new to OLLI.

Harry Kreisler was interviewed by students for the Daily Cal. It is a great interview and he mentions OLLI. Thanks, Harry! http://www.dailycal.org/2012/07/12/faces-of-berkeley-harry-kreisler-host-of-conversations-with-history/  

Kathryn Roszak has been awarded a grant from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation towards creating a new dance theater work this fall based on the poetry of Nobel Prize-winning poet Tomas Transtromer. Her company, Danse Lumière, will perform on October 28 in the Osher Studio at the Arpeggio Building, 2055 Center St, in downtown Berkeley, where Ms. Roszak's children and youth program moves this August. This summer Ms. Roszak collaborated with former OLLI instructor Matt Fillingim of UC Berkeley's Space Sciences Lab on a summer dance/science camp featuring the latest discoveries about Mars and Higgs Boson theory. For more info, see www.dlkdance.com.

Philippa Kelly was a guest author on TheaterBayArea.org addressing the question of "Where should American theatres invest their artistic focus and resources - and why?" Read the article here.

BERKELEY SYMPHONY

Known as Bay Area's most adventurous orchestra, Berkeley Symphony and Music Director Joana Carneiro bring you their most Defiantly Original season yet in 2012-13 as the orchestra explores the innovators, rebels, illuminators, and idealists of the symphonic world. Each Zellerbach Hall concert will feature a new work by one of the most compelling composers of our time, uniquely paired with great masterpieces.

We invite you to join us and experience these one-of-a-kind symphonic concerts right here in Berkeley. OLLI members receive $5 off single tickets for the 2012-13 Season. Students of the "Dance, Theater, and Music" course also receive a special discount for the Season Opening Concert on October 4. For more information, please visit http://berkeleysymphony.org/about/community/#olli. 

SUMMER CONCERTS AT THE UC BOTANICAL GARDEN

The UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley presents "Summer Concerts in the Redwood Grove." All concerts are on Thursdays from 5:30-7:30 pm with a special Sunday show on August 19 from 1:00-3:00 pm. Space is limited. More info

THE INSTITUTE OF EAST ASIAN STUDIES and 

THE CENTER FOR JAPANESE STUDIES

September 11, 4:00 pm

Lecture: "Hiroshima Maidens, Bikini Islanders, and Lucky Dragons: Contesting War Memories and Promoting Peace in Cold War Japan and the US"

A New Way of Learning: PLATO Society-style Discussion Groups

The PLATO (People Learning and Teaching Others) Society is UCLA's famous and original learning in retirement program. A general topic is chosen and 14 members join together to explore aspects of the topic for fifteen weeks, the length of their academic quarter. A coordinator offers a general bibliography, outline, and introduction for the sessions, and the rest is up to the members. To learn more about UCLA's PLATO program, go to: http://www3.uclaextension.edu/plato/. 

Could OLLI @Berkeley offer a similar group? We are holding a meeting on Friday, September 7, from 2:00-4:00 pm in Room 41C University Hall (2199 Addison St) to assess the interest among our membership for groups using this learning format. Please come to offer opinions and comments so we can get an idea as to the viability of this project. If you have questions, email them to Marian Whitehead at nedra@alum.calberkeley.org.

At the beginning of this summer, a small group of OLLI @Berkeley members met to start a trial discussion group on the subject of "Change." What important changes are now taking place and where will they take us in our future? To learn about the sub-topics which were proposed for this subject, contact Kay Lawson at lawson.kay@gmail.com.

We invite you to join us on September 7 to be at the beginning of an exciting new OLLI @Berkeley venture.

HAPPY HOUR CONTINUES! 

Compare notes about classes, meet new OLLI members, catch up with each other, and catch a bite, and maybe a movie afterwards. Getting together over a beer or a glass of wine is such a nice way to spend a summer afternoon.

Wednesday, September 12, 4:30-6:30 pm

Sportivo Restaurant & Bar

2132 Center St, downtown Berkeley

RSVPs optional. Email Jane Ellison at elljane93@comcast.net.